Poland signs deal for purchase of 250 Abrams tanks

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland on Tuesday signed a deal with Washington to purchase 250 Abrams tanks as it seeks to bolster its military in an effort to deter potential Russian aggression on its eastern border.

The sale of Abrams tanks to Poland, which is also home to a future U.S. missile defence site, is another sign of a deep and growing defence relationship with the United States. It follows the deployment of nearly 5,000 additional U.S. troops to Poland as well as additional fighter aircraft, as part of Washington’s response to the Ukraine crisis.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the deal is worth approximately 4.75 billion dollars and that the first tanks would be delivered this year.

(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; editing by Jason Neely)